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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 67

Single Seat Electorates

page 8

Single Seat Electorates.

The third form and last, which shall be now referred to, is what is known as the "equal single seat electorates"—one member to be returned for each district which contains, as near as possible, the same number of inhabitants as all other districts—and he who is highest on the poll, no matter how many candidates, is elected.

This is the system which the first Parliament of New Zealand, elected upon manhood suffrage, adopted as the acme of Liberal reform, the safeguard of the rights of the People against the encroachments of the privileged few; the capstone of the Liberal superstructure which years of democratic agitation had succeeded in raising for the benefit and admiration of our children "for all time." In reality, no more conservative measure, or one better calculated to create, foster, and perpetuate individual selfishness and petty local feeling, utterly destructive to the building up of a great nation, in which the People should govern, and govern with purity, has ever been put upon our statute books. As long as single electorates are continued, and a non-national spirit cultivated, the best men in the community—the thinking workers—must continue to find themselves as voters nearly always beaten on the poll, and numbers of the most capable candidates who are willing to serve their country must continue to be ostracised from Parliament. Large-hearted patriotism in posse will always be hailed as a something in a candidate which is entitled to respect and applause; but patriotism in esse must, with single constituencies, ever continue to give way to parish politics. The man who "sees visions and dreams dreams" for the benefaction of his countrymen at large must continue on the polling day to go down before the sturdy beggar who is willing to proceed on an annual foraging expedition to the seat of government for the aggrandisement of the few who page 9 have chosen him for his venality or his stupidity. In politics "parishes" largely despise men of brains, capacity, or over-much honesty. If any are disposed to doubt the correctness of this indictment, let them reflect upon their own political surroundings and experience before challenging.